The sweltering heat of the mid-july sun baked the man sleeping inside the wood cabin. During the night he stripped off all his clothes except for the boxer briefs with his name written on the tag.
"Property of Eric White."
The beams of light peeking through the gaps in the yellowed blinds shone on his sweat covered body. Various scars and tattoos marbled his sun-tanned skin.
His palm wrapped around a metal water bottle sitting on the nightstand next to him. He sat up and absently drank the water.
Eric looked around the room and cringed at the pile of sweat soaked clothes. He didn't have a way to wash his dirty clothes, and he was planning on wearing that shirt again.
"Why is it so damn hot?" Eric asked.
Nebraska rarely reached temperatures exceeding 90 degrees. So suddenly waking up to a temperature almost 20 over, was jarring. Eric stepped out of his bed and slipped on a pair of black basketball shorts. He immediately regretted opening the door when a blast of heat struck him square in his chest.
Eric slammed the door shut with more force than was necessary but the sturdy oak was undamaged. He turned around and walked over to his backpack stuffed under the bed. He put on a thin white cotton shirt and a pair of white crew socks. His pair of brown hiking boots sat next to the door below an emergency fire axe.
Eric was never a big fan of camping. But he was running from his problems. Being halfway across the country from his home town in North Carolina was deliberate. There was nothing in Nebraska worth visiting, meaning he could spend time in nature and focus on his thoughts.
Eric considered himself athletic but the previous few days of hiking around his cabin humbled him quickly. Being six feet tall, 220 pounds, and sporting size 12 flat feet, made him better at activities with explosive force rather than stamina based ones.
Eric sat down on the bed and pulled a bag of peppered jerky from his backpack. This would be his breakfast for the day.
Satiated, he rose to his feet again and slipped his shoes on. Then, right as he grabbed the door knob, the world shook. Trees snapped, wood creaked, and he lost his footing. Falling to the ground he bounced off the wooden floor with a pained groan.
The cabin shuddered beneath his feet but the shaking started to wane. Right as the world stilled, the mark of the apocalypse flickered into existence.
[The Towers have descended. The Dungeons have formed. Prepare for full System Integration!]
A blue transparent box hovered in front of Eric's face and sounded in his mind with a ding. His fist immediately flew through the air as his natural 'fight' reaction activated. But as his attack met the blue box it passed harmlessly though like it was all an illusion.
Just as Eric opened his mouth, the cabin shook again. The wood cried as snaps and tears appeared on the floor, ceiling, and walls. The cabin was going to collapse on top of him but for some reason the blue box, or to be more accurate, the blue screen, drew his full attention.
Then as he stood in the center of the single room cabin, he read the white words written on the screen.
"Full System Integration?" He asked, "What the hell does that mean?"
Then the cabin collapsed and Eric fell unconscious.
As he slept, he dreamed of a sword. A longsword held in the firm two handed grip of a massive porcelain skinned man. The brown blotches of blood stains adorned his skin like clothing. He was completely naked except for a leather loincloth.
"Do you want my power?" He asked.
The man turned to face Eric, and his ivory fangs glistened in the light of the moon. He reeked of danger and Eric felt his body flinch involuntarily.
"Do you want my power? The man asked again.
Eric wanted nothing more than to flee from the presence of the monster before him. He felt himself turn away from the creature and it felt wrong. Some part of him was disgusted by the thought of running away from even more problems. He wanted to stay and face the man before him. Even though it felt like he stood under the foot of a giant.
"Do you want my power?" The man asked for a third time.
Eric did. He craved the power the man had. He felt it was all he ever wanted. His head started to Bob up and down before he could stop himself. But before he could open his mouth to agree, his true will pulsed.
"No!" Eric shouted.
The man's face froze, as if he was truly shocked by Eric's response.
"Why? With my power you could conquer the world and take whatever you wanted! None could defy you! Why do you reject this offering?" The man asked.
"It wouldn't be my power if you were the true owner! I don't want that! Only the things you gain through your own abilities are yours!" Eric shouted, each sentence threatened to multiply his fear.
The man stared at Eric. Their eyes met for a moment and Eric forbade himself from looking away. Then the man laughed. A deep bellowing laugh coming from all around. As if everything was laughing alongside him. Then he stopped and swung his sword directly into Eric's neck, decapitating him.
A few hours later, Eric dug himself out of the rubble of the collapsed cabin. The cold hand of death squeezing his heart. With tears running down his face.
[You have been given, "Deific Blessing of the Blood Stained Steel Emperor!"]
[You have earned a title, "Carrier of a Deific Blessing!"]
[Title : Carrier of a Deific Blessing - A Patron has blessed you with the highest possible blessing!]
[Your integration into the System has been completed! Welcome to the multiverse!]
[Eric White
Human
Lv.1
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Strength - 0.1
Dexterity - 0.1
Willpower - 0.1
Toughness - 0.1
Endurance - 0.1
Perception - 0.1
Vitality - 0.1
Mind - 0.1
Energy - 0.1
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Titles :
[Carrier of a Deific Blessing - A Patron has blessed you with the highest possible blessing!]
[Integrated - You have successfully integrated into the System, all your stats have been raised to 0.1!]
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Deific Blessing of the Blood Stained Steel Emperor
Stat Gain due to Blessing Rank: +0.6 to all, +1.8 to free
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Core : F-Grade
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[Empty Skill Slot]
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